In this episode of Founders Future, with host Ammar Elm, we sit down with Eric Elkins, founder and CEO of WideFoc.us, a Denver-based social media agency that’s thrived for 18 years by blending organic and paid strategies. Eric shares his accidental entrepreneurial journey—from VP of a mobile payment startup to building a boutique agency that helps B2B and B2C brands drive real revenue through social. He reveals the pivotal moment when a VC advised him to ditch general marketing services and go all-in on social media, a move that catapulted his business during the 2008 recession. Eric also breaks down WideFoc.us’s unique retainer model, where deep client relationships (some lasting over a decade) are built on transparency, data-driven results, and a "spear phishing" approach to lead generation.

Eric opens up about the post-pandemic challenges of selling social as a must-have (not a nice-to-have) service, and how economic uncertainty has forced marketers to justify every dollar. He shares hard-won lessons on pricing pitfalls—like undercharging to win clients only to bleed margins—and why mastering cash flow is the unsung hero of agency survival. For aspiring entrepreneurs, Eric’s advice is blunt: “Fall in love with your numbers, not just your craft.” Looking ahead, he’s focused on refining WideFoc.us’s niche, doubling down on high-touch influencer marketing and executive thought leadership, and cracking the code on consistent lead flow in a volatile market.